Bad Romance
by Darkness Takes Over
Summary: Freddy has a problem. An obsessive girl won't stop entering his dream world. She won't stop stalking him. Despite killing her friends and trying to kill her, she keeps coming back. Declaring her undying love for him. What's a dream killer to do? - Humour/Horror story. Rated M - for language, violence. Chapter 5 - 25th March. please r&r
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Krueger or any of the other characters involved. I only own my own OC - Shannon Murphy

 **Summary:** Freddy has a problem. An obsessive girl won't stop entering his dream world. She won't stop stalking him. Despite killing her friends and trying to kill her, she keeps coming back. Declaring her undying love for him. What's a dream killer to do?

 **Genre:** Horror/Humour.

 **Rating** : M - for language, violence.

 **Title:** Bad Romance.

 **Author's Note** : This is a humour story. I am not a fan of Freddy/OC romance stories - to be honest, I despise them. I just don't see how anyone - a canon character or an original character could fall in love with Freddy. Also, in my view Freddy does not have a caring bone in his body. He doesn't have capacity to love anyone. Okay, he may have loved Loretta when he was alive. But in the end he killed her.

Okay, so that's my rant over. Lol.

This chapter is very short. Just wanted to post it and see if I get any/much interest in the story. If people would be interested n reading more.

 **Chapter 1**

To say Freddy Krueger pissed off was an understatement. He was nearing the end of his tether. For the last month his patience had been tested by a meddlesome bitch named Shannon Murphy. She was just seventeen years old and about six months ago had moved into his old house on 1428 Elm Street.

For a few month she didn't know the history about the house or his legend in the town. He could feel her presence in his old home, but when she finally found out through her friends in school about who he was. That was when his troubles began. At first he visited her dreams, twisting them into nightmares. Trying to conjure up fear from her. It worked for a week or two.

Then one night she changed. She was no longer afraid of him. Oh, he tried to hurt the bitch. But it was as though she had cast some spell over him. No matter how he tried to hurt her, any wounds he caused she would make them vanish.

Whatever hex she had put on him was something he was tirelessly trying to break. He had been on a killing spree, claiming several souls in the last two weeks and so hopefully soon he would have enough strength to break this spell she had over him. And whenever he did break the spell then he would gut that bitch's heart out.

If that wasn't bad, she had tried to talk to him as though they were fucking friends. Stating that she had seen a few old pictures of him from when he was alive and that she found him strangely attractive and that she felt sorry for him. For what the town did to him. Taking away his daughter.

How dare she try and sympathise with him? He didn't want her pity! He didn't want anything to do with her.

He wanted her _dead._

Oh, she knew who he was when he was alive. A merciless child killer and molester.

She had found out several old news paper articles about him. But that didn't stop her from coming back into is dream world.

It was like she was obsessed.

Obsessed with him.

Why could she not take no for an answer?

He had even entered her friends dreams demanding that they tell the bitch to keep out of his dream world. But they were at a lost to why their friend was acting this way. They too believed she was crazy for having these feelings for a dead child killer.

He had tried relentlessly to explore her mind, to find out why she was behaving this way towards him. Perhaps she was really was a fucking nutcase. Despite several attempts to ravage her mind for answers he was enraged to find out that she had cast another spell. Managing to close him out of the dark depths of her subconscious.

He knew that if he didn't find out a way to stop her or kill her, then he would crack. He would rather spend an eternity in Hell being tortured by Pinhead and his cenobites that to endure another night of this little bitch entering his world to stalk him, trying to talk to him as though they were best friends. Her pathetic attempts to appeal to him, to try and seduce him were contemptible. Why the fuck would anyone be interested in him? Did they not realise that he didn't care about anyone? Love? He hated the word!

Freddy snarled as he turned away from the burning furnace in the boiler room. His bladed claw flexed angrily at his side as he sensed that bitch's presence enter his domain. Closing his eyes he thought back to when his troubles began, the first night that her attitude towards him changed…


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Enjoy and please review. Thanks :)

 **Chapter 2**

 _ **Flashback…**_

 _ **Four weeks before…**_

Shannon Murphy stood on an old shaky, rusty catwalk in the power plant. A smile crossed her shapely face as she glanced over the railings to the depths below. There was a thin layer of steam distorting the view of the passageways. But she knew that he was here. The monster she had grown to tolerate over the last few weeks.

At first she was terrified of him, as he chased her and tormented her in her nightmares. After some research she had discovered that he was nothing but a lost soul. Digging into Freddy Krueger's past she found out that he was a child killer and molester. His life was a harsh and desolate life. His mother was supposedly raped by numerous insane criminals in Westin Hills when she was working there, he was put into an orphanage shortly after birth. It was there he stayed until he was a young boy, perhaps five or six years old. He was taken into a foster home by an old drunk named Underwood. That was when his life turned into a nightmare, a living nightmare.

There were beatings.

Countless beatings.

Well, that is what Shannon had discovered from her research. There was one thing about Shannon Murphy and that was she was very thorough in her research methods. Nothing was overlooked!

When he was seventeen she had found out his foster father Underwood was discovered dead in their home on Elm Street. The exact house that she now resided in. Freddy had pleaded self-defence and due to his age and his plea of self-protection he was not convicted or committed to prison. He was still allowed to be a free man.

The next breakthrough was that Freddy began to court a young woman. Her name was Loretta Johnson. After a few years they wed and it was in either 1961 or 1962 they had a little baby girl. The information on their child was sketchy, but after a few more days of investigating she unearthed that the girl was called Katherine. There were no pictures of her from the newspapers articles she had dug up in the Springwood Library. It seemed that the town wanted to keep her a secret. It was in mid 1967 that Freddy was identified as the Springwood Slasher.

The fiend behind the kidnap, murder and molestation of at least twenty children over a four to five year period. It came about when his wife Loretta mysteriously disappeared in May 1967. There was some vague information that his daughter was taken from his custody. The police had claimed that her safety was in danger of being in the care of her father. She had tried to find out more about this, but alas the papers were all blackened out.

The last day or so had been interesting to say the least. The articles she found out revealed that he was put on trail for the murders of the twenty children in late 1967, perhaps early 1968. Due to a technicality with important warrants not being signed properly he was released. This sparked an outrage amongst the parents of Elm Street and the surrounding neighbourhood. So, they took action. They tracked him down to the boiler room where he took his victims too and set it alight. Burning the monster who had murdered the children, who had their small town in a grip of horror over the last several years.

They had claimed vengeance for the children.

However, the town's problems were far from over. From chatting to her friend Jade last week Shannon was shocked, yet strangled intrigue to discover that he came back. In people's dreams. That was why she was having dreams of him. She had overheard two of her friends chatting about their dreams last month. It was the night after that she began to dream of this place, the power plant. The boiler room. And of course, Freddy!

Her two friends though - Samantha and Ethan - had died under two weeks ago, within two days of each other. There were rumours that they had committed suicide, but she knew differently. Freddy had tried to mock her with their deaths the day after their funeral. It did scare her, she was being honest. But she just couldn't shake the feeling that a part of her didn't really care.

The last week or so her thoughts were consumed by her dreams, by Freddy. She had found a photo of Freddy when he was released from court and she instantly found him to be attractive and incredibly mysterious. His eyes were a light shade of blue, they looked so lonely. So lost. His hair was a sandy blond and barely visible beneath his dirty brown fedora hat. His jaw was angular and sharp. Not bad for a guy in his late 20s.

Shannon had to confess to herself she always had a 'thing' for the older man. Her last two boyfriends were in their early twenties. The relationships didn't last long though, perhaps a few months or so. Each time they broke it off with her as they believe she was starting to become too clingy. She always had an issue in regards to her relationships. She was a very needy person.

The last few times she had dreamed of Freddy she had woken up with small bruises and cuts. All because of him trying to beat her up or actually he was trying to kill her. But she would brush off his aggressive stance towards her, knowing that maybe he was a little unsure or edgy around her. He probably didn't know how to convey his feelings towards her. She had boldly told him that she knew everything that happened to him when he was alive, that she somehow understood the anguish and pain he felt when he was alive. It was terrible to be beaten up as a child. Oh, she wasn't hit as a little girl, but she had read into child abuse a year or two ago and felt that she could help him. She wanted to be there for him as a friend.

It was going to be hard to get him to come around to her.

But she damn well was going to try!

Even yesterday she went out shopping for some items to help her in her mission to get him to talk to her, to listen to her. If she played things right, who knew what the future could bring for them both?

Her musings were broken as she heard the faint sound of screeching in the distance.

Freddy was close.

A small smirk spread across her face and she quickly made her way to a shaky set of spiralling stairs that led below. At the bottom step she looked up and down the corridor she was now in. The only sound was metallic rumblings and groans of furnaces and boilers. It seemed to drown out the faint resonance of child like whispers. Then came a low snarl from the end of the corridor.

"You! Again!"

Shannon straightened up and grinned. "Hello, Freddy"

The dream fiend stepped into the passageway and flexed his blades threateningly at his side. His cold baleful gaze was set upon her. Upon the annoying bitch that was seriously getting on his nerves. But tonight, oh tonight the little whore was going to die. Her intestines and organs would be gutted from her mangled flesh and would stain the steel ground.

Making it a lovely shade of deep _red._

His favourite colour!

Her death would be exquisite!

"Shannon…" his jagged teeth flashed at her as he smiled darkly. "Sweet little Shannon"

She blinked in surprise. Was he actually going to talk to her tonight?

Oh, please say yes!

Please say _yes_!

Her attention was brought back to him as he slowly approached her. It was time to play a trick. If he could get her to let her guard down just for one second he could get her. Stab her heart with his blades, then his problem would be over. "I think we need to talk little girl…"

She took a few steps down the corridor and grinned excitedly. This was it, he was going to chat to her. Her heart fluttered against her chest. "Yes, we do"

"But first…" he continued to close the gap between them. "I want you to do something for me!"

Her eyes lit up with anticipation as he stood a mere foot from her. His ghastly burnt face was barely visible from the flames from the furnace. Freddy smiled cunningly at her and lifted his bladed claw and delicately, yet mockingly stroked her left cheek with the side of the cool blades. Just a few more seconds. This was it!

Shannon smiled softly as she relaxed at the sensation that the metal was having on her skin. It was quite relaxing. She didn't notice Freddy's left hand snaking its way up her spine to the back of her neck. His gruff, deep voice snarled suddenly. "I want you to die!"

Her face contorted into a visage of alarm as he plunged the tips of his four blades into her stomach, ripping through the fabric of her cream nightdress. But she didn't feel any pain, there was no sensation of blood gushing or seeping from her severed flesh. She lowered her face to her stomach and a sly smirk pulled at her lips. Oh, his blades were dug deep into her body and her garments were ripped. But there was no blood.

Freddy grinned maliciously at her. Clearly under the assumption that he had harmed her. That she was dying within his grasp. But when she lifted her gaze back to his, his smile turned into a frown.

The bitch was actually smiling at him.

"It worked!" Shannon chirped merrily, "It actually worked!"

Freddy growled and looked down at his bladed claw that was still embedded into her flesh. To his disgust and shock there was no blood pooling around his blades. He grabbed the back of her throat and shoved his knives deeper into her torso, wiggling them vigorously inside of her.

"I can't feel anything!" she smugly smiled at him.

He withdrew his claw from her and glared in astonishment at his blades. They were clean, not a speckle of blood had stained the steel. "What the fuck?!"

Shannon tried to explain, but he caught her off guard and slammed his blades into her stomach more viciously then before. Nevertheless as beforehand, there was no sickening sound of flesh being torn or mutilated. He cursed to himself and yanked the blades from her again. Then with a barrage of harsh profanities he stabbed and slashed at her body. At her chest, her stomach, her neck. Her face.

But each time it was the same as before. The blades would propel into her skin, into her body. With no blood or sign that any damage had been done to her supple body. What was going on? Did he lose his powers? His hand curled around the front of her throat and squeezed hard. "Why can't I kill you, you bitch?"

"I cast a spell to protect me!" Shannon tried to smile, but the grip he had on her throat was preventing her from doing so.

"A spell?" his eyes glowed red in ire. "Why the fuck would you do that?"

"Because to protect myself from your blades. From you doing any harm to me. Well, until the time is right to end the spell!"

Freddy stepped away from her and raised his blades, "What the hell do you mean when the time is right?"

"Well, when you start to be nice around me! When you finally come to terms with your feelings!" Shannon said simply. "I'll know though when your feelings towards me are true! A girl can tell!"

He glared at her with horror. What the hell was she thinking? Feelings? Oh, he would tell her how he was feeling right this fucking moment! "I'll tell you how I feel, you brat! I feel that you are an annoying bitch that makes my skin crawl with repulsion. You seem to have an fixation with me!"

"I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with you Frederick" Shannon smiled pleasantly, her eyelashes fluttered flirtatiously with him. "But I do think you're cute!"

His bitter, cruel eyes blinked in disbelief. "How the fuck do you think I'm cute? Are you blind?"

"I'm meant when you were alive!"

He grabbed a fistful of her blond hair and yanked her close to him, "How the hell do you know what I looked like?"

"I've been doing research on you. I know everything about you" she smiled at him, though she winced as his grip tightened on her hair. "Well, nearly everything!"

Freddy shoved her away, sending her spiralling onto the floor with a heavy thud. She sighed and looked up at him from the ground. "I guess you're still angry with the spell I cast on myself. But it's the only way I can get to talk to you without you slitting my throat!"

"Why in Satan's name would you want to TALK to me?" he barked, "I'm Freddy Krueger, the king of nightmares! The Springwood Slasher! I'm feared by every single fucker in this town!"

"I find you interesting. Your life is very….intriguing! I think you need some company, some companionship! I think you need a friend!"

His scarred bottom lip went agape in panic. Was this bitch crazy? Did she really think he wanted a friend? A fucking friend? This was all he fucking needed, a stalker. He was going to have a blond haired bitch stalking him in his dream world! He needed to figure out a way to undo this stupid spell he cast on her.

"So…" the girl continued shyly, giving him the most enticing smile she could muster. "I want to be your friend. Just give me a chance!"

Freddy stood motionless. He had to think. Needed time to thinks this through. For the next few nights he would not be entering her dreams for the foreseeable future. Well, until he could figure out what to do. He spun on the heel of his dirty black boot and stormed down the corridor, leaving her behind.

She crossed her arms and charged after him. "Aw, come on! Please just listen to me! I promise in time that you'll learn to like me!"

"Like you?!" he snapped around to her. His claw thrust out to wrap around her throat. "I _despise_ you!"

A bemused sigh escaped her lips. "That is what you think now. But you men, you need to get in touch with your emotions more!"

His eyes glowed red and he slammed her viciously into the nearest hot scalding wall of a furnace. In a flash of white light she vanished from the dream and he exhaled noisily and with reprieve.

How could this happen to him?

One thing was for sure, she wasn't going to break him. That brat was not going to make him go insane. He would discover a way to break the spell.

Then he would break her in half!

 _ **End Flashback…**_

The memory of that troubled night faded away and Freddy scowled as the figure of Shannon stepped into the main opened space of the boiler room. Her slim body was adorned in a sultry silk pink nightgown and matching pyjamas. She placed her hands on her hips and walked over to him, then stopped a few feet from him.

"Good evening Freddy"

He scowled and flicked her the bird with his claw. "Fuck off bitch!"

"Ach, why are you being like that? Did you have a bad night last night? I heard that Jessica is still alive. That she survived. Is that why you're angry?" she titled her head to the side, giving him a thoughtful look.

Freddy bared his rotten blackened teeth. "You know why I'm being like this! It's you!"

"Me?" she threw him an incredulous look. "Listen, I really think we need to sit down and talk about your true feelings. I think you're just irritated because you don't know how to deal with the feelings that are stirring within you towards me!"

"I don't have any feelings towards you. Apart from hatred, scorn and disgust!" he snapped.

"Now, you know that's not true" she advanced towards him. The fingertips on her right hand trailed up and down his chest, as if she was trying to soothe him. "I know that you like me!"

He leered and snatched her right hand with his scarred hand, then with a sickening snap he twisted her hand all the way back. "Don't touch me!"

She gave a dissatisfied sigh and used her left hand to wrench her mangled hand back into its socket, "You have such anger in you. I know it's because of your life when you were alive. You never really dealt with it, did you?"

He raised his claw, poised to strike. Then a scowl crossed his face, what was the use of stabbing her? The bitch still had that stupid spell in place! He still had no inkling how to lift it. There was though someone he could speak to, one of her friends whose dream he had been invading lately. Maybe they could help him.

"That is none of your business!" he finally replied to her.

"But that is what friends are for. To listen to each other's problems! You can talk to me about anything! I mean, if you want to talk about your past relationship with Lor-"

She was interrupted as he pounced upon her, a flash of red and green sweeping across the road as he shoved her roughly into the far wall. "Don't you dare utter that whore's name to me! That is in the past! _My_ past, it has NOTHING to do with you!"

Shannon stared sombrely into his raging eyes. She had hit a nerve with him. Perhaps she should let him cool down. She could pick up their conversation tomorrow night. "Okay, I'll leave. I'll give you some time to calm down. I'll see you tomorrow night. Hopefully then we can have a nice cosy chat?"

He gave a growl of discontent and spun away from her, stalking off heatedly into one of the steam filled passageways.

Shannon smiled sadly and watched as he disappeared from view. She rubbed her throat lightly and wandered over to the furnace and rolled up the sleeve of her nightgown and firmly placed her arm against the scalding metal…

A startled hiss came from Shannon as she jolted up in her bed. Her eyes lowered to her hand and smiled triumphantly. There was no burn mark. The hex was still doing its job! She reached over to her small dresser and flicked on a small purple light, that illuminated the room. Pushing her bedcovers from her body she wandered over to her built in wardrobe and bent down to lift up a thick brown book.

It was her homage to Freddy. Inside it contained all the documents and paper articles she found on his life and now his life after death. There were numerous editorials on the deaths since the 1980s to date.

Crouching down on her knees she turned to the first page. It was a torn picture of Freddy when he was alive and next to it was a recent photograph of her dressed in a bright red summer dress. She smiled sweetly at the camera. The picture was positioned right beside his face. Around both pictures was a carefully drawn pink heart.

Below in fancy writing was the words.

 _ **Shannon loves Freddy.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Shannon strode down the busy corridor of Springwood High School. It was just before 1st period and she was still feeling a little annoyed that her dream last night didn't go as planned. Why was Freddy being so stubborn? He was the most tenacious man she had ever met! Dealing with his feelings was something that he wasn't used to. All she needed was to be patient. In time he would come around.

"Shannon!"

Her head craned to her right as she saw her close friend Stephanie standing at her locker, her normally well kept black hair was messy and hung loosely around her slim shoulders. From the look on her face she seemed exhausted.

Turning around Shannon walked over to her and smiled, "Morning, you don't look too good Steph! Not sleeping well?"

Stephanie scoffed. "No shit. That son of a bitch nearly got me last night!" she lifted up the bottom of her burgundy blouse to reveal four parallel slashes across her stomach. "I was lucky to wake up!"

Shannon's eyes burned with disdain at the use of profanity that her friend used towards Freddy. She didn't realise that she would be this angry at her friend. It wasn't nice of her to say those harsh words about him. "Maybe you pissed him off. He tends to get annoyed very easily"

"What?" Stephanie gawked. Was her friend really defending that bastard? Grabbing her arm she tugged Shannon into an empty classroom, "What is wrong with you Shannon?!"

"Nothing" she smiled sweetly.

"Did you listen to what I said to you last week?" Stephanie demanded.

"I listened, but that doesn't meant that I have to agree with you" a smug smile spread across Shannon's face. "No one will change my opinion towards Freddy!"

Stephanie felt nauseated as studied Shannon carefully. A lot had changed over the last six to seven weeks. Gone was her best friend, someone who she could confide everything in. A girl who would spend hours with her and the rest of their friends at the mall, trips to the cinema and bowling alley, their weekly manicure treatments. Now every weekend Shannon would hide away either in the library researching whatever she could on that maniac Krueger or she would sleep all weekend. She was now becoming obsessed. Perhaps she never really knew her at all. They had been friends for about six months now. That wasn't long enough to actually know someone, was it? She never really talked about her past or her previous friendships or any relationships she had with boys.

It appeared that from what Shannon had told her over the last week or two, that the girl had an fixation with Freddy. But why? Shannon was a beautiful girl, with blond hair, a bright and bubbly personality. She could have any guy in school and it wasn't as though she wasn't asked out on dates before. But each time Shannon would turn them down, saying that they weren't her type. That she needed a mature man.

What the hell was the fascination with Krueger? He was a homicidal madman! A horribly burnt one who had been dead for the last forty to fifty years. There were rumours he had mercilessly slaughtered the whole population of the youth of Springwood back in the 1990s. Invading the children and teenagers dreams and picking them off. One by one. He was like a plague.

A _deadly_ plague.

"Look, Shannon. You're one of my closest friends. You heard what happened to Samantha and Ethan the other week. They were our friends" Stephanie tried to reason with her again. "He murdered them. He tried to kill you too! He's after me, Ellie, Josh and Zach! He's even after you!"

"He can't hurt me anymore!" Shannon smirked cunningly.

"What?"

"I put a spell on him!" she giggled madly. "If he tries to cut me, it won't work. I cast the spell on him about four weeks ago. So, he can't hurt me until I lift the spell"

Stephanie dropped despairingly into one of the seats and stared bemusedly at her friend. She was actually resorting to these drastic measures to be around that monster? Magic protection spells? Why was wrong with her? She needed help. It was all going to end in disaster for her if she kept up this obsession!

"Stephanie, I know you mean well and that you are looking out for me" Shannon crouched down onto her knees before her and took her hands in hers. "I really appreciate it. But I know what I'm doing. I can look after myself. I have the means to do so now"

"You should start to take Hypnocil" Stephanie suggested. "I heard from Ellie that there is a shipment of the drug being brought into Westin Hills soon!"

"Hypnocil?" Shannon looked at her with intrigue. "What's that?"

"It's a special drug that stops you from dreaming"

"What the fuck?" Shannon snapped angrily, disgusted by the suggestion. "No! I'm not taking that! I need to keep dreaming. I'll never get to see my Freddy"

Springing to her feet Stephanie grabbed her friend by her shoulders and shook her firmly, "What the hell is wrong with you? Why is the fascination with Freddy? Don't you know who he is-" her voice faltered off. Did she really say 'my Freddy?' "Wait, what did you say?"

"You heard" Shannon shoved her hands from her shoulders and glowered furiously at her. "He's my Freddy! Look at this…"

Stephanie's looked on with terror as Shannon pulled out her brown scrapbook. Her own personal memorial she had made for Freddy. She placed it on the desk and flipped to the first page where the two pictures of her and Freddy were strategically placed together with the heart drawn around them both. "See. This is my personal book about him. I am hoping to give it to him soon. To show him how much I care for him"

"Care for him?" Stephanie felt her blood run cold. Her friend couldn't be actually developing feelings for him? If that was the case then she needed to do something. "Shannon, do you have feelings for him?"

She nodded vigorously and smiled proudly. "Yeah, I think. Actually, no I'm sure I'm in love with him"

Stephanie blinked once and her jaw went agape in disbelief. Maybe she misheard or maybe this was some fucked up dream. There was no way that Shannon was in love with him. It was absurd! "You d-don't mean that, do you?"

"Yes" Shannon's strange grin never left her face. "I do. There is something so mysterious about him. Look at his photo, doesn't he look so beautiful. Those blue eyes are mesmerising!"

Stephanie looked down at the picture of Freddy and shuddered. Those eyes were anything but mesmerising, they had evil embedded in them. When you looked at them eyes all you could see was hatred and pure evil. It was clear now that Shannon was crazy. But she was going to help her. It was imperative that she spoke to the others. They would help her decide what to do.

Shannon gave a deep thoughtful sigh and pushed her book back into her back pack, zipping it up. "I don't expect you to understand Stephanie. Maybe one day you will" she walked towards the door. "I'll see you later"

The sound of the bell pierced through the air making Stephanie jump in surprise. There would be no way she would be able to concentrate after hearing Shannon's confession. How could her best friend be in love with him? Freddy fucking Krueger? Who in their right mind fall in love with him?

She hurried into the corridor and rushed down towards her first class - English. As she entered she saw her friend Ellie sliding into her seat at the back row. She advanced towards her own seat beside her and gestured for the golden brown haired girl towards her. "Ellie, we need to get Josh and Zach at lunch time! It's about Shannon!"

"Shannon?" Ellie chewed her lip nervously. "What's wrong? Is she okay?"

Stephanie lowered her voice. "I think she might need some help. Psychiatric help"

"What?" her voice rose slightly in pitch. A few people in the row in front of them glanced over their shoulders. Ellie gave her friend an apologetic look. "Sorry, we'll talk after class. Is it about you know…him?"

There was a sharp nod from Stephanie. Ellie had shared the same concerns for their friend, having discussed the situation with Stephanie over the weekend. Shannon's strange behaviour wasn't healthy at all. It was borderline insane!

 **x x x**

"So, what did you want to talk to us about?" Ellie asked.

Stephanie glanced wearily over her shoulder as her and her three friends lingered at the bottom of the tall metal football stand that overlooked the running track and large football pitch. It was their usual meeting place for lunch, well especially in the good weather. A few other groups of students were scattered out on the steps of the stand. A seven foot wall circled around the stand and part of the pitch. There was also a metal fence that circled the remaining part of the playing field. Behind the pitch was the school and the student car park.

Josh ran his shaking hands through his short light brown hair. It was a sign to show that he was nervous. He knew whatever they were about to talk about was serious. When Ellie stopped him in the corridor after his second class earlier that morning he saw the look of trepidation in her brown eyes.

He glanced momentarily at his best friend Zach, noticing the bags under his eyes. "Hey man, are you okay?"

"Not really" Zach moaned gruffly, "It's been three nights since I slept. I can barely concentrate. I nearly crashed the car coming to school today!"

"Shit" Josh shook his head dourly. "We got to do something!" he looked at Ellie and then at Stephanie, "Is this what you asked us here to talk about? Have you found a way to you know, stop him?"

Stephanie anxiously glanced at Ellie, "No, I'm sorry. I wanted to speak to you about Shannon"

Zach cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Shannon? What about her? Where is she?"

"I didn't ask her to meet us" Stephanie crossed her arms sternly. "She told me something this morning. It's rather disturbing"

"Disturbing?" Josh gulped, "I don't like the sound of this"

She scoffed and gestured them closer to her, then began to explain her bizarre conversation with Shannon from earlier that morning…

It was ten minutes later when she finished enlightening them on Shannon's blunt and honest revelaton that she was in love with the dream stalker that was hunting them over the last month or two.

"She was joking right? She has to be!" Ellie laughed apprehensively.

Stephanie perched her hands on her hips and sternly shook her head. "I wish she was, but she was serious. She's developed this insane infatuation with him!"

"But w-why?" Josh was consumed in shock. He had to admit that she fancied Shannon and had contemplated on asking her on a date a few times. What was the reasoning behind this madness?

"I don't know. You should see this book he has of him! It's like this big journal, her own personal shrine to him!" Stephanie's head shook to and fro with horror. "It looked to be full of news paper articles!"

"Fucking hell" Zach murmured, "I didn't realise it was that bad. What are we going to do?"

"I think we should get her proper psychiatric help!" She proposed.

"How?"

"We'll tell her parents what is going on with her and they can send her to Westin Hills. The Doctors there can do something for her. Put her through therapy! We need to do something! Her life is in danger!" Stephanie cried.

"But you said that she put a spell on him? A protection spell?" Josh questioned, "If that's the case then there is nothing to be worried about!"

"But what if Freddy manages to break the spell? You know the power he has, he can do anything!" Stephanie argued. "So, what do you think? We should tell her parents, right?"

Ellie nodded in agreement, "Yes, it would be for the best!"

Josh and Zach rose to their feet at the same time. They knew that what Stephanie was saying was justified, their friend required their help. Her sanity was hanging in the balance. What kind of friends would they be if they let her waste and ruin her life? She deserved more than that.

"Yes, let's tell her parents" Zach gave a sombre smile.

"When?" Josh asked.

"I'll call around to her house tomorrow morning. I've work tonight at the Diner" Stephanie adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Hopefully she'll get better. Then when the new shipment of Hypnocil comes into town we can stop dreaming, we can all get back to our lives! Our normal lives!"

Her three friends gave uneasy smiles. It was good that they were formulating a plan to help Shannon, but still they felt on edge at going behind their friend's back. But in the end they knew they all had Shannon's best interests at heart. They were looking out for her that's all.

They began to meander away from the stand across the football pitch. Not noticing that a figure was stood around the side of the wall. It was Shannon. A deep irirated scowl was etched across her face. She had heard every single word. How could her friends conspire to do this to her? Tell her parents her secret and plan to get her sent away to Westin Hills? She wasn't fucking crazy! They would never understand that her feelings for Freddy wasn't a phase. Her emotions were real, her love for Freddy was real.

Why should she have friends like that?

 **x x x**

"Barbara, I'm going to take my break okay?" Stephanie slammed the cash till shut. She looked over her shoulder at the older waitress.

The older woman nodded, "Okay, sweetheart"

"I'll be back in half an hour" Stephanie unhooked her apron over her head and ventured into the pantry area where the staff would usually take their breaks. She jadedly saw on the small seat and rested her head wearily against the wall. She hated the long shifts in this diner. She had three more hours to go. Her hours tonight were from 5pm to midnight. Long enough, especially for someone who had barely slept over the last few nights.

She stretched her stiff arms above her head and then rubbed her groggy eyes. The door to the pantry opened slightly and she frowned, seeing the small figure of a girl. Perhaps eight or nine years old. What was she doing back here? It was off limits for costumers! "Little girl you shouldn't be back there!"

The girl giggled and disappeared out of view.

Stephanie frowned and rose to her feet, leaving the pantry but soon found herself in the midst of the boiler room. The sweltering heat overpowered her as she stood in front of the roaring furnaces. Panic began to grip her as she spun around towards the sound of deep, raspy breathing.

Freddy stood before her, his blades flexing and curling at his side. He seemed to be annoyed. He growled with frustration as he stalked towards her.

She shrieked and tried to turn and run, but he was faster and gripped her neck with his rough burnt hand. "Wait, you little brat!"

"Please don't kill me!" Stephanie begged.

"I ain't going to kill ya, piggy!" he growled, "Well, _not_ tonight. I need to speak to you about that bitch!"

"B-bitch?" she stammered.

"Shannon!" Freddy snapped. His hand constricted around her flesh at the mere thought of the girl.

Stephanie coughed and her eyes nearly rolled backwards in her head at the lack of oxygen. Soon, his grip loosened and he flung her away from him. She staggered to her feet and looked at him anxiously, "What about her?"

"Has she told you about me?" he sneered.

"Yes" Stephanie backed away slowly.

"I want you to give her a message from me, that if she doesn't lift that spell then I'll go after everyone of her friends. Everyone that she holds dear!" Freddy warned and then pointed a blade at her. "Starting with you!"

Her eyes widened in terror. "I've tired to tell her that she needs help. But she won't listen to me!"

Freddy held back a curse and started to close the gap. "Then in that case I have no need for you!"

"Wait!" Stephanie took a step back, then hissed as the flames from the opened furnace sizzled at her back. "I'm going to speak to her parents tomorrow! I'll persuade them to send her to Westin Hills. She can get the proper help she needs there, they can prescribe Hypnocil to her!"

"Hypnocil?" Freddy leered. Those fuckers had managed to get more of that dream suppressant. Fuck, that was all he needed. How could he get to his children now?

But still the main problem he should he focusing on is Shannon, if those doctors could drug that slut and suppress her dreams then all the better! It didn't matter if they had the hypnocil, he always could find a way of getting into one of the little piglet's dreams!

He was Freddy Krueger after all.

"Please, just let me do this!" Stephanie pleaded, "Give me this chance!"

Freddy smiled nastily and nodded. "Okay, I'll let you go. But remember, get that bitch committed to Westin Hills! Any way you can!"

Stephanie sighed in relief and opened her mouth to reply when a figure tackled her to the ground. The attacker turned their face towards Freddy. It was his stalker, Shannon.

"Was she pestering you Freddy?" Shannon smiled pleasantly at her.

He glowered at her in shock as she wrapped her hands around Stephanie's neck and hauled her to her feet. "What the fuck are you doing Stephanie? Huh? I hear you today, talking about me to Ellie, Josh and Zach!"

Stephanie clawed desperately at her hands, "Y-you need h-help We can help y-you!" she choked.

"Bullshit!" Shannon sneered. "You are all resentful of my friendship that I have with Freddy! He wants to kill you all and you're terrified, so here you are trying to plea with him for your life! What is it Stephanie, do you want him to be your man? Is that fucking it?"

Stephanie glanced at Freddy, beseeching at him to come to her aid. She knew that he needed her, she was his only hope to stop Shannon's obsession towards him. Freddy broke out of his trance and began to stride towards the two girls.

Shannon saw him approach out of the corner of her eye and snarled, whirling Stephanie towards the furnace. "I'm not going to let you take me away from Freddy!"

Before he could approach them Shannon shoved her friend backwards into the fiery furnace, a sly and triumphant smile pulling at her lips as the flames devoured her friend. Her pain stricken screams echoed in the dreamscape as the flames burned and ravaged her flesh.

 **x x x**

 ** _Please review - they give me motivation! Thank you!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter** **4**

Freddy's horrid burnt face was etched in shock at what had happened. He flicked his right wrist, forcing Stephanie's fire ravaged body out of the dream. He knew that she was dead. Her body was marred by burns, it covered nearly eighty to ninety percent of her body. Also, inhaling that thick smoke would have caused significant damage to her lungs.

This girl Shannon, this _bitch_ was indeed crazy. To do that to her friend? That girl Stephanie was his ticket to stopping Shannon. Now it was gone. But not _only_ that. A future potential victim, a soul, a source of strength was taken from him. She had taken it _from_ him!

He was only planning on allowing Stephanie to live until she got Shannon admitted to Westin Hills. It was now all fucked up, his chance of getting rid of this _bitch_ was gone. Unless he reached out to her other friends. Yes, he would pay them a visit. There was still hope for him. He had to optimistic.

"I'm sorry about that" Shannon spoke. Her voice was tainted with annoyance. "But she's gone now"

He sneered at her and turned away.

"What's wrong now?" Shannon moaned, then pouted in dismay as it dawned on her. "Oh god, I screwed up. Didn't I? You wanted to kill her yourself?"

Freddy ignored her, his blades flexing vehemently at his side. He so wanted to rip her heart out, but what was the point in wasting his energy on attacking her? It was useless. He couldn't hurt her. He heard her approach and he spun around to glower at her. "Get the fuck away from me!"

"I'll make it up to you Freddy" Shannon gave a furtive smile, "I can bring Ellie to you. Or maybe Josh or Zach. Maybe _all_ three of them!"

He grounded his rotten teeth together. This girl was going to drive him nuts. What did he do to deserve this? Was someone punishing him? "Listen, you crazy ass bitch, I don't want _anything_ to do with you. Got it?"

"I'm sorry about Stephanie. Honestly!" Shannon appeared to disregard his dismissive nature towards her. "You should have stopped me. I would have allowed you to kill her!"

"ALLOW me?" Freddy barked, "I don't need anyone's permission to kill someone!" he pointed a blade at her, "Now, leave me alone!"

Shannon opened her mouth to reply, but a force propelled her backwards. Out of the dream and into the waking world. Her head shot up as she sat at her dressing table. Blinking blearily she frowned and stood. This was the most daunting pursuit of a man, she had ever experienced. Her last two ' _boyfriends'_ were easy to talk to. At the start of course. But then after a month or two, they had put out restraining orders on her. Perhaps she was a little too forward. Seeing as she had kept turning up at their places of work or college. The first boyfriend was _'Kevin'_ , a freshman in College. She was fifteen years old at the time. He had lived in her street and she had always had her eye on him since she was thirteen years old. Oh, she had flirty and kissed a few boys in her own year. But Kevin was the first boy. No, the first man that made her heart flutter. She remembered skipping school to go to visit him at his college campus. It then spiralled from there to visiting him at his work, sometimes at his home whenever he came home for the weekend. She had honestly thought that he was the one for her, but no matter what she tried to say or do for him, he would brush off her advances.

It had broken her heart. Shattered it into a million pieces.

But her heart was soon mended when she had the fortune to meet bump into a gorgeous black haired student at one of the fraternity parties she had gatecrash with her old friend Sonia. He was twenty one and in his last year of College. His name was Nathan. He was far more _mature_ than Kevin. Again she fell in love with him quickly. Just as before she had bunked off school to frequently visit him after his classes. He had chatted to her on numerous occasions in their street. Things were going so well, until she discovered that he had started to date some other girl. Some slut from his college class. It had infuriated her how he could that to her. She had loved him, showered him with gifts, hand written love letters.

Perhaps with Freddy, it would be _third_ time lucky.

A bright smile flashed across her face as she grabbed her scrapbook of him and turned to the first page. Her fingers gracefully stroked his picture. "I love you" she whispered.

She knew that taking a quick nap this evening was a good idea. Especially now after witnessing what that little back stabber Stephanie was going to do to her. Trying to plan to get her committed to Westin Hills. And for what? So she could try and get her filthy hands on her man? That wasn't on. As for her other so called friends, she would have a little harsh and bluntly honest word with them tomorrow.

They had to be aware that no one was going to get in between her and Freddy.

 **x x x**

"I can't believe this" Ellie sniffled and dabbed at her tear streaked face with a handkerchief. "Stephanie was my best friend. Now, she's gone. She's dead!"

Josh gingerly rubbed his friend's back as they sat on the small wall outside Springwood High. It was late last night when news broke out that a small fire had devastated the Diner on main street. The diner where Stephanie was working last night. The customers had managed to escape unharmed, while the chef and other waitress had suffered from smoke inhalation. The fire crew though were not able to rescue Stephanie. Her horribly burnt body was found in the back pantry. The cause of the fire was yet to be discerned.

"We'll get through this" Zach mumbled from the other side of her. "I think we should still go through with what she told us yesterday"

Ellie looked up at him. "You mean talk to Shannon's parents?"

He gave a curt nod. Soon their attention was drawn to their right as a figure approached them. It was the girl in question. Shannon.

She crossed her arms astutely across her chest. "I take it you heard. About Stephanie!"

The trio nodded slowly. Then Josh rose to his feet. "Shannon, please listen to us. We can get you the help you need. Before it's too late!"

"Well, it is too late!" Shannon snapped angrily. Then a malicious smirk grew at the corner of her pink rosy lips. "It's too late for Stephanie"

"What do you mean by that?" Ellie glowered at her. "Did you do something to her? Was it you-"

"Me?!" Shannon laughed, "It wasn't me. Freddy found out what her pathetic fucking plan was. He took care of her!"

Ellie swallowed thickly. Took care of her? God, he had killed her. She must have fallen asleep. He took advantage of that and murdered her, burnt her body. "He burned her alive?" her voice was barely above a whisper, it was hoarse and full of panic.

Shannon giggled madly. "Yes, he was enraged that she was going to send me away to Westin Hills. You see, I told him everything you said yesterday. I _heard_ you all. Your little scheme to get me committed! You see, he was devastated. I told him not to kill Stephanie, but he wouldn't listen. He can't control his anger you see. He has his sights set on you all now"

The look of terror flashed across each of their pale faces. There was no way they could go through with their plan now, could they? "He did that, because he doesn't want you taken away?" Josh stared at her intently. Trying to decipher if she was telling the whole truth. Or was she playing a trick on them?

She gave a stern nod. "Yeah, I think he's finally coming to his senses. I think he's starting to _fall_ for me. Why else would he do that?" she gushed with insane glee. "So, I'm just giving you a warning. I wouldn't want anything terrible to happen to you three?"

Ellie nodded eagerly and grabbed the strap of her school bag. "Uh, thanks for the warning. I'll see you guys later" she hopped off the wall and rushed into the building.

Shannon glanced at the two boys as they too gathered their belongings. She could feel the fear emanating from them. Her little ruse was working. By making them believe that Freddy had murdered Stephanie because of his growing ' _feelings'_ for her, then they would cease from going through with their proposal of putting her in that nut house. She wasn't crazy, she just had a strong, passionate feeling of adulterated love for Freddy. There wasn't anything wrong with that, was there?

 **x x x**

Ellie stared dourly at her English test. The question regarding comprehension was whirling around her weary mind, but she couldn't concentrate on it. Her eyes fluttered fervidly as her head drooped forward onto her right arm. She then shook her head and straightened up.

Her body then froze as she was now alone in her classroom. The door to the room creaked opened, revealing a darkened misty corridor of the power plant. Ellie shrieked and staggered to her feet, backing away until her back was pressed against the wall.

He was coming for her.

Her eyes were set in stone on the corridor before her. Through the dense mist she could faintly see a shadow slithering it's way towards her. The rim of a fedora hat was barely visible in the dim lighting.

Freddy stalked towards the doorway, his rough burned muscles constricted as he stared at her gravely. "Ellie…"

She shivered under his penetrating gaze, then shuffled to the right. "I know that you killed Stephanie"

He glared at her. "What? Who…" his voice trailed off. Why did it not occur to him that she would spread tales to her friends that it was him who killed Stephanie? He had wished it was him who had killed her, to gain another piece of strength. But that was not to be. However, he had to persuade this little piglet to continue with their plan. "I didn't kill her, you stupid bitch!"

"No!" Ellie shook her head madly, "You're lying. It was you!"

Freddy snarled, losing his cool. "I wish it was me who had killed her, but it wasn't!"

"He's right! It wasn't him"

Ellie's head swung towards the owner of the voice. Her eyes widened in surprise as the person spoke again.

"It was me" Shannon said with a vile smirk.

Before she could react Ellie felt a sudden sharp pain in her stomach. Her lips trembled as she looked down to see a Stanley blade embedded through her taupe blouse. A deep red stain began to pool around the blade and then she gargle as the blade was driven in deeper to her stomach.

"What the fuck?" Freddy roared and charged towards them both. His left hand wrenched Ellie backwards, the blade plucking out from her wound with a squelch.

The girl stumbled onto her back and she pitifully wrapped her palms over her wound. Trying to stem the flow of blood. Freddy snarled as he glanced down at her dying body, then again forced her from the dreamscape. He turned towards Shannon who was coolly wiping Ellie's blood from her red Stanley blade. Advancing towards her he curled his burnt hand around her throat and rammed her into the wall. "You fucking whore! Why are you doing this to me?"

"I-I was just h-helping you!" Shannon choked, "She was going to t-take me away from you!"

He tightened his grip on her flesh. "Do you ever think that maybe I don't want you? Huh? Why won't you get that into" he slammed her head against the wall. "your" he did it again, "thick" another slam, "head?"

Shannon gasped and rubbed at her throat as he unwrapped his hand from her throat. "I'm sorry for killing her, but it had to be done. I'll let you kill Josh and Zach" she smiled considerately at him. "Will that make you feel better?"

He raised his glove, ready to strike out at her. To feel her blood running down his blades, that would help him feel BETTER. But it would be a waste of his time and his strength. That stupid spell was still over him. He had to take a different approach to stopping her. But how?

Snarling in aggravation he stormed back to the boiler room. Leaving her alone with the bloodied body of Ellie laying at her feet.

In her English class, several students gathered around Ellie's desk. Their teacher Mr Summers gingerly shook the girl's sleeping frame. "Wake up Miss Pearson"

"She's bleeding!" a girl shrieked.

The teacher's eyebrows knitted in uncertainty and he stooped onto her haunches and that was when he saw it. A trickle of blood oozing from her top onto the cream tiled floor. A pool of blood was forming beneath her desk.

"Call 911 now!"

At the back of the class, Shannon rose to her feet with a heinous smile spreading across her face. She averted her gaze across the room to Josh and Zach, then hurried over to them. Her voice was low and thick with venom. "Freddy did that. He's still pissed off. So, I'll tell you again. Don't you dare tell my parents what is happening. Understand?"

They glimpsed nervously at each other, then turned their petrified gazes to her and nodded in unison. The only thing that mattered to them now was their own lives, they couldn't care now if Shannon wanted to pursue a relationship with Freddy. At the end of the day their lives were more important.

 **x x x**

Freddy groaned as he slumped despairingly into a dusty wooden chair in the side room of the boiler room. The last several weeks were wearing his patience, making him feel fatigue and weak. His verve was withering away. And it was all because of her. She was draining him, bleeding the mental dynamism that made him who he was.

He wasn't scared of her. Oh no, he _wasn't_ scared of anything. But being near her caused him great discomfort. It made his scarred skin crawl with repugnance.

Inhaling deeply he rolled his head backwards so that it rested against the brick wall, his blood shocked blue eyes fluttered closed as his muscles began to slacken as he began to relax…

He woke with a jolt. His head jerked upwards as he stared up at thick heavy chains suspended from the metal ceiling above. A frown crossed his lips as he saw that both his arms were spread apart, stretching upwards to two chunky metal cuffs. He noticed that his cherished bladed glove was missing from his right hand.

The rough edges of the cuffs dug into his scarred flesh as he tugged at them vigorously. He bucked and thrashed at his restraints, his back colliding into the wall behind him. "Fuck!"

He narrowed his eyes, concentrating on unshackling them. Focusing his power on melting or breaking his binds. After a few seconds, a growl tore from his throat. Why wasn't it working? What was wrong with his power?

A body entered his vision as they stepped into the light.

Shannon stood draped in a silk red nightdress, the brim of the fabric stopping a few inches above her knees. She flashed him a charming smile as she seductively strolled up to him. "Hello, Frederick, I'm glad that you're finally awake"

He sneered at her with contempt. "What the hell is going on, bitch?"

She giggled and was soon before him. "It's about time I showed you how I really feel, my love"

"I ain't your fucking love!" Freddy retorted in disgust.

Her right hand reached out to stroke his scarred face gently, "Oh, that's where you're wrong. You are _my_ love. And I'm yours. The only one you will ever need"

As her fingers caressed along his chin he snarled and attempted to gnash at her finger tips. "Stop touching me!"

She smirked. "You like to play rough. I can learn to play rough too" her hand stretched up to snatch his fedora hat and she placed it atop of her head. "Do I look sexy Freddy?"

His lips curled up into a snarl of revulsion. "You look vile!"

"Now, now!" she wagged a finger at him and adjusted her nightdress to try and reveal her ample cleavage to him, "Stop you lying mister!"

He yanked at his manacles.

She ran her right hand over his scarred head, then cupped the back of his head. "I'm going to prove it to you"

He flashed his jagged teeth at her in another viscous snarl. "When I get out of these and break that spell, I'm going to break every bone in your body!"

Igorning his statement of intent, she stood on her tiptoes and brought her face towards his. "I love you Freddy"

Freddy sneered and tired to pry his head from her grasp, "You're fucking crazy!"

"Maybe I am crazy" Shannon gave a shy smile, "I'm crazy in love with _you_. You're constantly on my mind, every minute of every day. When I think of you, it makes me happy, it makes me smile. You're the one for me"

Freddy looked fiercely at her. A feeling of abhorrence engulfed his body at her words. In all his years of being alive and in the dream world, he had never came across a situation like this or a girl like this.

"You can't tell me there isn't anything between us Freddy?" Shannon continued and wrapped her other hand around his waist, pinning his body against her curvy frame. "I know that deep down in that twisted soul of yours, that you feel something. Don't you?"

"I'll tell you what I feel" Freddy hissed, his eyes glowing red with ire. "It's called repulsion! You _repulse_ me!"

She sighed in exasperation. This was harder than she expected. Unless, she convinced him of her feelings another way. A more shrewd way, a way that would send men's hearts racing. Her fingers stroked the back of his neck and she smiled seductively and quickly pressed her smooth, soft lips against his coarse, burnt ones.

Freddy gagged and groaned in distaste, struggling against his metal binds…

"Ahhh!" Freddy jerked up in his chair, awakening from his dream. He wildly looked around, bemused as how he could have a dream? How could that happened? Did those dream demons cause him to have a nightmare within his own domain? Were they the ones who was behind this over the last few months? Perhaps he had done something to provoke the dream demons? They may have been disconnected from his body years before, but their essence still flowed through his body. In a way they were still joined as one.

 _Do you really think we would use that wretched girl to get back at you for all your failures throughout the years?_

 _If we really wanted to punish you, you would have_ _ **lost**_ _your powers Krueger!_

"Then what I am mean to fucking do?" Freddy moaned. "She has that spell cast on me! Anytime that I try to brush her off, she pays no attention to what I have to say! She's living in her own little fucking fantasy world!"

 _Then maybe you should reach out for help…_

"Who can help me?" Freddy hissed.

 _You know **who**._

 _They're still there. They haven't left that City._

Freddy shook his head. The thought of going to ask _them_ for help was ridiculous. His anger towards them was still raw and strong. "No. I'm not going there. Why the fuck would they want to help me? Look what they did to me the last time!"

 _That was several years ago. Maybe they have changed their mind regarding you and what happened in both your pasts._

 _Don't forget Krueger they, have experience in circumstances like this. Especially with teenagers like Shannon._

Freddy slowly began to pace the room, considering and musing over the demons proposal. Should he actually risk it? Put his trust in that person? Would they help him?

 _ **Please review! Thanks!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

"What are we going to do?" Zach glimpsed at his friend as he drove them home. "Do you think we should get in contact with Shannon's parents?"

Josh's knuckles turned white as his grip intensified on the steering wheel. "No, if we try that then Freddy will go after us. Let's face it we can't help her. She doesn't want our her help"

"So what? We just cut all ties with her?"

"Yeah, we have to look after ourselves now"

Zach sighed sadly and turned to look out the window. Perhaps his friend was right, Shannon was a lost cause. It still disturbed him how she could actually be in love with that monster? They had known her for the last several months, they thought they had grown close to her. But did they really know her at all?

And what if that monster shared those feelings for her too? If that was the case, then what was the point of being her friend anymore?

 _ **x x x**_

The raging fire from one of the furnaces illuminated Freddy's scarred face as he stared pensively at the flickering flames. For the last few hours he considered and mused over the demons suggestion of getting in contact with 'them' again. How many years had it been? Over eight years since they had betrayed him again? What were they up to now? What had changed in their life?

He growled, why should he fucking care? All he wanted was their help to resolve this problem he was going through. Then he would cut all ties with them. Perhaps even cut them up a bit, watch them bleed to death…

The corner of his lips curled up into a devious smirk.

He had to work his charm though. Persuade them to help him.

Firstly, it would take a lot of his power to transfer into their dreams. Central City was at least fifteen to twenty miles away. Nevertheless, he had to do this. Even try and reason with them to help him. He snorted in disbelief. Why would they want to help him? Look at what he had did to them? Trying to kill them? They saw their old memories, discovered their true heritage and what really happened in their childhood. They hated him now for what he had done and well he shared the same feeling of loathing towards them for what they did.

 _Have you made your decision Krueger?_

"Don't fucking rush me!" he snapped.

 _It's closer to night time. Nearly time for your little stalker to visit you again!_

Freddy flinched, uneasy at this. It was a chance he had to take. His patience was wearing thin. He had to try something didn't he? He closed his eyes and snarled. "Ugh, okay! Let's do it. I'll go and pay my little _princess_ a visit!"

 _ **Central City…**_

 _ **Youth Shelter.**_

 _ **5pm…**_

A pen noted down observations on the next blank page of a patient's file. The tip of the pen scrawled neatly across the line, then stopped. The person holding the silver pen leaned back in their seat and with their left hand they took off their black thin framed glasses and threw them onto the table. Their dark chocolate brown hair was tied back in a loose bun, with a few tresses trailing down the sides of their aged face. Maggie Burroughs may have been forty five now, but she still looked good for her age. A few wrinkles had lightly traced her forehead. Other than that if you took a quick glance at her, you would have thought she was still in her late thirties.

She stretched her long arms above her weary head, rolling her shoulders and she groaned as she felt a small twinge along her upper back across the ridge of her right shoulder blade. Being crouched over her case files for the last few hours was never good for her back. She definitely had to do some of those stretching exercises Gavin told her to loosen her muscles.

A warm smile touched her lips as she pulled her gaze towards the picture of her and her husband Gavin Wilson on their wedding day. It had been two years since they wed and nearly six years since they began to date. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Especially over the last eight years. Through meeting him she had become focused on her life, on her future and _not_ her past.

A year after they had began dating she had discovered her adoptive mother had developed breast cancer and within six months she had passed away. Without Gavin at her side she would have fallen apart, but he was there every step of the way. He was her rock, someone to lean on and talk to. Throughout the late nights, through her grief he was there for her. She knew then that he was the one for her.

The last several years had been good for them both. And hopefully in the next year or two they would have something else to look forward to.

Maggie looked up from her notes as the door to her office creaked opened. The congenial, smiling face of her good friend and work colleague Doc greeted her. It was coming up to his retirement. Just under a month away. Though that didn't stop him from being lax in his work. "Hey Doc" she smiled.

"I thought you would be home. It's past 5.30pm" Doc glanced at the clock on the far wall.

She nodded at her file. "I've to finish this up for Kelly. I was meant to do it last night, but I was busy talking to young Matthew's parents before he left the Shelter"

"So, that's him finally away?"

Maggie leaned back in her chair and gave a sigh. "Well, hopefully he'll not run away again. It's like an endless circle with him. Runs away, comes here and I counsel him again. Believing that I've finally talked some sense into him. But a few weeks after going home he's back again!"

"At least you're here for him" Doc interlocked his hands across his chest as he sat across from her.

"Sometimes I think it's the parents that need the counselling and not their kids!" Maggie stated simply.

Doc laughed, nodding in agreement. "You could be right!"

She rose to her feet and walked over to a small coffee machine on a small table tucked in the corner of the room. Her hands took two mugs and began to pour out coffee for them both. "So, what are your retirement plans? Have you decided on Washington DC yet?"

"Yeah, I've made my decision. I've phoned the Sleep Disorder Clinic and accepted the position. It's only part time though" Doc took a mug of coffee from her. "You know how much I'm interested in sleep disorders and dreams…" he trailed off, seeing the nervous expression on her face. Even after all these years she still hated talking about anything to do with dreams. He quickly changed the subject. "How are you and Gavin?"

She moved back to her chair, "We're good thanks!"

He glimpsed at the photograph of them both. "Are you still trying? Any luck?"

"Yeah, we're still trying. We have an appointment in two weeks time with a Doctor. I mean it's been a year since we've decided that this was what we wanted and…" her eyes lowered to her hands that clasped her mug of coffee. She sniffled softly. "I keep thinking there's something wrong with me"

"Maggie, don't think like that. I'm sure it will happen. Be positive" Doc reassured.

She raised her mug to her lips and sipped at it tentatively, "Yeah. I know"

"You know when I get settled in Washington, you both must come down for a few days. It would be good for both you to get a break. Take some time off from your work"

Her lips curled upwards into a cheery smile, delighted at this suggestion. "Thanks. We'd really like that"

He downed the rest of his coffee. "I'm about to head home here. You want a lift?"

"Yeah" she then looked at her case file, gathering it together and shoved it into her brief case. "I'll meet you at your car, just need to say to Kelly that I'll give him the report in the morning instead"

He nodded, leaving her to switch off her computer and gather her purse and black suit jacket. Gripping her black strapped hand bag and brown brief case she exited the room, closing the door behind her. Even though she was married she still used her previous surname of Burroughs in her professional occupation in the Shelter. As for everything else in her life she used Wilson her married name. When her mother died after her battle with cancer she found out through her mother's solicitors that her mother's home was passed onto her in the will. Within a few months of coming to terms with her mother's death she terminated her tenancy with her private landlord and left her small apartment, moving into the home she grew up in.

"Thank you for the lift home Doc" Maggie looked out the passenger window at her home on Riverdale Avenue. "I really think I should buy myself a car. Seeing as I won't be able to rely on your driving me home soon!"

Doc chuckled lightly. "That would be a good idea!"

She smirked. "I'll see you in the morning. Bye"

He waved her goodbye as she strolled up the lane to her home. A navy Honda Civic was parked in the driveway, it belonged to Gavin and she knew that he was probably making dinner. It was a habit of his to make sure that dinner was set out for them both. His hours in work differed from hers, starting earlier than her at 8am and finishing at 4.30pm. Depending on whatever court cases he had to attend or what clients he had to represent. He was on very good money as lawyer. He made sure that she wanted for nothing.

She entered into the large front hall of her home and she could faintly smell the sweet aroma of steak sizzling from the kitchen. Strolling into the large spacious living room to her left she threw her briefcase and bag on the taupe coloured sofa and discarded her jacket. She hooked the jacket on a tall coat stand in the hall, before venturing through the dining room towards the cream tiled kitchen.

There was a square counter in the middle with a bottle of white wine ready to be opened and two wine glasses. At the cooker Gavin stood with his back to her, dressed in his black trousers, white shirt and what seemed to be a navy apron wrapped around his waist. He whistled merrily to himself as he stirred the ingredients of a beef stir fry in a large grey pan.

As though he had sensed her presence he turned around and grinned at her. His big green eyes widening in exhilaration at seeing her. "Hey babe, how was your day?"

She walked up to him and ran her right hand through his black hair, kissing him firmly on his lips. At being nearly 6'2 in height Maggie had to raise slightly on her tip-toes. "It was good. It's _even_ better now that I've seen you"

"Aw, you're too kind" He stepped back and nodded at his apron.

She looked down and laughed boisterously at the words imprinted on the front.

 _ **Is it hot in here?**_

 _ **Oh, wait. It's just me!**_

"Where did you get that?" she asked.

"I bought it on my lunch break. I've had my eye on it for the last few weeks!" Gavin winked at her.

Maggie smiled and kissed him again. "I'll set the table"

"No, just get yourself a glass of wine and relax! Dinner will be ready in ten minutes"

"Thanks. Love you" She spun away towards the counter, grabbing the bottle and poured out a glass for herself. "Was there any messages on the answering machine?"

"Yeah, I think Tracey phone you"

"Really?" Maggie gasped, smiling broadly. It had been several months since she had spoken to her old patient. The young woman's life had changed drastically over the last several years. Moving into a stable foster home, graduating from High School and going to college. Meeting and falling in love with Corey Masterson. Now, they were engaged and ready to embark on a whole new life together in Chicago.

"I'm going to phone her" Maggie wandered back to the living room towards the cordless phone from coffee table. Her fingers deftly moved over the numbers, dialling Tracey's contact number. After the fifth ring it was answered.

"Hello? Tracey?"

There was a small cry of glee on the end of the line. "Ah, Maggie! How are you? Did you get my message?"

"Gavin said you left a message on our machine. How are you?" Maggie smiled

"I'm good. Actually I wanted to speak to you because I have some news!" Tracey's voice was tainted with giddiness.

Maggie slowly sat on the sofa and took a sip of her wine, "What is it?"

Tracey took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant!"

The smile on Maggie's face curled downwards into a frown. Pregnant? Tracey was expecting a baby? Oh god, was she envious? Could she be jealous that Tracey was pregnant and she wasn't? The last year or so both her and Gavin had been trying to hard for a baby. How long had Tracey had been? Wait, was she _actually_ trying? She broke into a smile, forcing her voice to sound elated for her young friend. "Oh Tracey, that's brilliant news! I didn't know you were trying!"

"We weren't! It just happened, it was a surprise to us both!"

"How far gone are you?" Maggie asked.

"About twelve weeks. We're going for our first scan next week!"

As much as was happy for Tracey, deep down inside Maggie was devastated. Why could that not happen to her and Gavin? Why could she not be bestowed with the gift of a baby? Maybe it wasn't meant to be. "That's good. I'm really happy for you!"

"I'm sure it will happen for you and Gavin soon. Just keep trying"

"Yeah" Maggie lazily wiped a tear from her face, "What will happen to the wedding?"

"We're putting it back a year. It will give us more time to save though too" There was a muffled voice in the background. "Ah shit! I've got to go here, I've company. Corey's parents are over for dinner. I'll phone you tomorrow that okay?"

Maggie took another sip of her wine, "Yeah, you take care. Have fun with the in-laws!"

"Fuck, I'll try!" Tracey laughed. "Bye Maggie"

"Bye" Maggie whispered. The dial tone sounded in her ear after Tracey had hung up, then several seconds went by until she placed the phone back on the receiver in the corner of the room.

"Mags, dinner is ready!"

She snatched the wine glass from the table, downing it in one gulp and then walked drearily into the dining room. Her despondent mood suddenly lifted at the sight of at candle lit table all set out for her. Two cream candles were positioned in two silver candle holders. A single red rose was placed in a tall thin white vase.

Gavin sat at the top of the table with her seat to his right. A few minutes went past before he broke the silence. "So, how's Tracey?" he unfolded a napkin, placing it across his lap.

"She's good" Maggie chewed a mouthful of her stir fry. "Um, she's pregnant. Twelve weeks"

"Really?" Gavin grinned broadly. "That's lovely news!"

Maggie nodded, avoiding his gaze. She couldn't allow him to see the tears that were brimming in her brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" He saw the disappointed look on her face. "I know that we've been trying and-"

"Is there something wrong with me?" she sobbed softly. "Perhaps I can't have any children"

"There is nothing wrong with you! We've that appointment soon. They'll help us. I'm sure they will" he reassured her. "You always hear women in their mid to late forties having children. It will happen for us!"

Maggie slumped back in her chair and snatched a white napkin to dab at her tears. "You know how much I want a baby. Maybe we should consider IVF treatment too"

"What about adopting?" Gavin offered another suggestion.

She froze and glared at him. Adoption? It was something she never contemplated. In a way she didn't want anyone else baby. She wanted her own, something that she created herself. "I'm not sure"

"Look, we'll see the Doctor and discuss what he can do for us both" Gavin reached over to grasp her hand. "Anyway, it's certainly been fun trying the last year. Hasn't it? We should you know give it another go later?" he gave her a cunning smirk.

Maggie's lip curled upwards and she chuckled, throwing her napkin at him playfully. "You're insatiable, you know that?"

"Well, so are you!"

She blushed and poured the remaining wine into their glasses. "How about we have an early night?"

"Early?" Gavin looked at his watch on his left wrist. "It's only 7pm!"

"And…?" she flashed him a sultry smile, then hopped off her seat to climb onto his lap. He cupped his hands on her firm ass.

He grinned at her as she lowered her smiling lips to his…

 _ **10pm**_ …

Maggie lay sprawled in Gavin's arm on their bed. Their bed clothes were draped across their naked, sweaty bodies. She turned her head up to stare at his panting face, his lips were arched upwards into a contented grin. "You have fun?"

"Yeah" he kissed her forehead. "You?"

"Yes, it was amazing"

"I know. I'm just great!" he quipped. "

She rolled her eyes and jokingly slapped his bare hairy chest. "Now, you know I don't like show offs!"

He hugged her tightly. "I think you secretly do and that's why you married me!"

Again she rolled her eyes. "Possibly" her mouth slowly opened as she stifled a yawn.

"Ohh, I've worn you out!" he teased.

"I guess you have" she smirked against his chest, "Night"

He lightly trailed his right hand up and down her bare arm, and within minutes she had drifted into a deep slumber.

A bright yellow flash illuminated the darkened bedroom through the thin slits of the

Cream vertical blinds. The blustering wind howled outside the house, causing Maggie to stir awake. She sat up groggily and smacked her dry lips, then switched on the side lamp next to the bed. It brightened the room and her gaze fell upon the scattering of her and Gavin's clothes that were strewn across the bedroom floor. Pushing the covers from her naked frame she skittered towards a large chest of drawers, pulling out the bottom drawer to fetch a long knee length light blue nightdress and pulled it on.

A deep rumble echoed outside and she sluggishly made her way out of the bedroom, downstairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed a tall glass from the counter and poured herself some water. As she sipped it slowly she heard a set of footsteps echoing down the stairs. She wandered into the hallway and began to apologise. "Sorry if I woke you…"

Her voice faltered off as a small figure stood at the entrance to the living room. It was a little girl, no more than five years old.

Maggie went rigid, staring at the girl in shock. The dark blond, perhaps light brown hair was tied back in ribbons. It couldn't be. This wasn't happening. Snapping her eyes closed Maggie muttered incoherent words to herself and then slowly allowed them to open.

A startled gasp came from her as she found herself standing in the middle of an old basement. Somewhere she had desperately fought so hard to forget.

She faced the door to the secret room in her childhood home on Elm Street.

"This can't be happening" she whispered hoarsely. Her eyes suddenly lowered to her attire, the old familiar pink dress adorned her body, with the white collar and two white buttons down the middle of her chest. White socks were pulled up to her knees, black painted shoes were on her feet. Her brown hair was tied back in two pigtails with those candy red ribbons.

The door to the room scraped opened and she took a defensive step back, then spun around and saw a darkened corridor to her right. Fuck it, she was getting out of here. If this was a twisted flashback of that time in her life, then why the fuck was it happening now?

Her shoes pounded on the concrete as she ran blindly down the darkness. Soon the concrete made way for a metal catwalk and she skidded to a halt as she heard the deep metallic rumblings of boilers and furnaces. Oh, this was more than a fucking flashback.

Her hands clenched into tight fists as she came to a spiralling staircase, and began to descend to the lower level. A layer of steam greeted her and she peered through the mist as a silhouette appeared at the bottom of the corridor. Their lean frame stood against he backdrop of a wall of flames.

 _Screechh_ …

Maggie flinched and jerked back, shaking her head in terror as she heard his gritty voice. It was the same as all those years ago when he sung her _real_ name.

"Hello, Katherine…"

Maggie twisted away to run down an adjacent corridor, panting and whimpering with fear. How could he back? She had stopped him eight years ago. Destroyed him, heard those creatures, those demons fleeing his body. Her head whipped over her left shoulder and her eyes widened at the sight of him chasing her.

Using every ounce of her energy she picked up her pace. Turning into another passageway she passed by several opened furnaces that contained crushed bones and burnt remains of children and teenagers.

Maggie gagged at the sight and then shrieked as a body flung themselves onto her back. She collapsed to the ground and twisted around, aiming punch after punch at Freddy who dodged and duck her blows. He swiftly gripped her hands with his gloved and burnt hand, slamming them down on the hard metal floor of one of the main boiler rooms then grasped them both with his scarred hand. His eyes roamed over her shaking, sweat drenched face and noticed that her hair several inches longer than before. At last she had grown out of that stupid fucking hairstyle. Shaking his head he sat up a little as he straddled her waist.

Maggie gulped, "This isn't real! You're dead. I s-stopped you!"

Freddy gave her a vicious snarl. "You mean you blew me up, you little _bitch_!"

Her eyes avoided his and her body stiff as he brought the tips of his metal talons to her face, tracing her jaw lightly then applied pressure. The blade cutting skin lightly and drawing a small line of blood. "Why the hell are you back? To kill me?"

His lips twitched and his drew his bladed claw back. The urge to drive his knives into her chest and rip her heart from her cadaver was too strong. But he had to resist, he needed her to get rid of that crazy ass bitch Shannon. "No…" a strained whisper came from him. "You see princess, I _need_ your help"

 **x x x**

 **Please review! Thank you for your reviews so far!**

 **I will hopefully start chapter 23 of Fear the Nightmare this evening. :)**


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